The U.S. has seen an upsurge in opioid-related overdose deaths, and an increasing number of these deaths are caused by Chinese-produced fentanyl. Fentanyl killed more Americans than any other illicit substance in 2016, and in 2017, overdose deaths due to
synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, totaled 29,000 in the U.S. The drug’s presence in our communities is only on the rise, impelling the need for Congressional action to tackle the epidemic as it plagues communities across the country.

Please join us in co-sponsoring H.R. 1542, theCombatting Illicit Fentanyl Act of 2019, which affirms the Unites States’ commitment to combatting illicit drug trade, and holds bad actors in China accountable for illicit fentanyl exports to the U.S.

H.R. 1542 builds upon a Global Health Subcommittee hearing held in September 2018 entitled “Tackling Fentanyl: The China Connection,” where officials from the Department of State and Drug Enforcement Agency, and a private panel of experts, testified on the
ravaging effects fentanyl has had on American communities, and suggested steps the U.S. should take to counter the illicit drug trade from China.

This bill mandates a joint report by the Secretaries of State and of the Treasury to identify the nefarious individuals and government officials in China involved in fentanyl production and trafficking into the U.S. The President is then encouraged to sanction
these individuals, using already existing tools such as the Global Magnitsky Act and the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. These steps seek to curb the inflow of fentanyl into U.S. communities, and ensure that corrupt Chinese actors are held accountable
for their role in fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic.